When Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker were beefing last year about the possibility of a third Sex and the City movie, the Daily Mail published a curious and hateful piece about Kim Cattrall and how she’s always been “difficult” and more. That DM story was one of the reasons why Cattrall completely burned that bridge with SJP last fall, because it had become all-too-common: SJP would push negative stories about Cattrall in British and American tabloid outlets for years so that SJP could “get her way.” Basically, it was a way of keeping Cattrall in her place, and making Cattrall look like an a–hole while SJP got to do her innocent, wide-eyed “who me?” thing. It happened so many times over the years that even the tabloids started calling out SJP for the petty manipulations.

My point? I don’t trust the Daily Mail to accurately report on SJP and Cattrall’s history. Over the weekend, Cattrall had enough. SJP’s public message to Kim was the last straw, and Cattrall posted one of the most bridge-burning Instagrams I’ve ever seen in my life. The Daily Mail’s current top story is a piece about the history between SJP and Cattrall, and you can read it here if you want. Some highlights:

Both sides-ism: No one who has followed the relationship between the women was under the illusion it was very good — they are both known to have diva-ish tendencies and have been feuding on and off for years. But until this weekend the depth of hostility involved, on Cattrall’s part at least, was unknown. It would seem the huge resentment she appears to feel towards SJP — over her status on the show, her salary and her influence — boiled over in that one, vitriolic rant.

The Mean Girls atmosphere: Certainly there were times when the ‘mean girls’ atmosphere on Sex And The City reached such a pitch that neither Queen Bee SJP nor the other two stars, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, would speak to Kim. Not a word — beyond what the scripts demanded — despite 15-hour days filming together, for months on end. The three women would eat lunch apart from Kim, too, according to sources on set. When they were shooting out of town, they would stay in different hotels. There was no girly exchange of gossip while they were all having their make-up done.

Cattrall was tired of doing nudity: The reasons were many; over the years arguments raged over everything from status and money to the amount of nudity in love scenes. SJP got to keep her bra on, which rankled with Kim who, as sexually voracious Samantha Jones, was required to bare all at every opportunity.

SJP was jealous of Kim’s on-screen charisma: SJP, nominally the star of the show as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw — and incidentally best friends with series producer Michael Patrick King — fought hard against Cattrall’s natural scene-stealing charisma. SJP got pay rises, promotion to executive editor and ever more say over the series, which ran between 1998-2004. Kim, however, did not — despite her furious protests. Evidently matters became so unpleasant that Kim decided she was done with Sex And The City, and despite two successful spin-off films, she turned her back on a third.

The Mail goes on to discuss the pay arguments, making it sound like Cattrall wanted to make the same salary as SJP, when really, it sounds like Cattrall thought the four women should be negotiating their salaries together, like the cast of Friends did at the time. It’s one thing to say “good for Sarah Jessica, she knew her worth and she fought to be paid what she felt she was worth,” but it’s quite another thing to realize how SJP was actually fighting for the other women to never receive similar pay increases or bonuses or anything, and SJP was pulling rank about a million other things too, from screen time to scripts to storylines.

Anyway, I’m sticking with the same opinion I’ve held for years now: SJP is a phony, and an overgrown Mean Girl and Cattrall kept it as professional as she could until SJP got it in her head that they needed to make a third film. That wasn’t when everything started, but that was when those years of grudges and pettiness just snowballed into this massive denouncement.

Yeah, no way a SATC 3 will EVER happen unless they hire another Samantha which would be a huge mistake, I think.
I could argue both points on this one, but it’s an unpleasant situation all around and I’m sorry for Kim and her family for their loss:(
What I originally came to post was that, by pure coincidence, I caught the first film over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. I forgot how much I liked the show, too. The acting in certain parts was terrible for me, and I wasn’t in love with other aspects of the story, but the dynamic between the women was stellar. They really fed off of one another in a great way. I think to make another film without Kim would throw the entire thing off and ruin the dynamic and memory of the show.
Btw, the first one was with Jennifer Hudson as Carrie’s assistant and the acting there made me lol. I like Jennifer but woah, it was painful.

I remember Carrie as an insufferable baby in that movie. Jennifer Hudson’s character had to get her a new phone and then Carrie whined when it wasn’t the same area code. She was sitting, feet up, paging through magazines in her tiny apartment while JH answered her “correspondence.” She couldn’t unpack her own godd*mn clothes! Ugh.

The first movie was kind of okay. The second was just SJP’s ego exposed with Carrie, once again the most desirable woman alive and everyone’s favourite friend and Samantha made into a caricature of a menopausal woman. I don’t even remember what Charlotte or Miranda did in the movie. They might have well of been cardboard cutouts. I’m sure SATC 3′s amazing script she’s been ranting about would be more of the same.

Charlotte and Miranda had a scene where they were speaking about how hard it is to be a mother without help, and “how do the women without help cope?” And they were so close to breaking the fourth wall and staring at the audience in horror!

SJP sent her condolences via social media rather than privately. That pretty much says it all. FYI, I have a good friend who worked with Kim Cattrall in a movie years ago and he said she was lovely to work with. No problems at all.

Also, if people will vilify those who defend SJP due to personal experiences, I love the amount of people coming to the defense of a Polanski supporter and claiming she’s a much better person because they have a “feeling” about SJP. -_-

It depends on what the jealous diva does. No one is one dimensional but attempting to torpedo someone else’s career based on a lie means you are not sweet and you aren’t lovely. There can be a lot of other positive qualities, but those two are off the list without caveats. Sweet and lovely to her children. Sure. But as a general personality trait, I don’t believe it is possible.

Also, I am so bothered. When KC expressed a desire to do fewer nude scenes, SJP and King should have listened. Those scenes would have worked with KC in her bra or shot to show less of the goods. Railroading someone into scenes they don’t want to do and may be uncomfortale with is disgusting.

If that’s true, how terrible. I hate that nudity is used the way it is in film and television and mostly forced on female actresses. I really, really don’t need to see breasts or ass to get the gist of a situation. My husband and I finished Altered Carbon on Netflix last night and wow, so much nudity! But, at least we saw a couple full frontal men as well as women so it was more balanced than most productions.

If Kim expressed desire to cover up some more then that should have been respected. Just because someone is an actress doesn’t mean a production has complete autonomy over their body.

I wonder how much of that came down from HBO. At the time, the network basically made its name with the racy content on SATC and The Sopranos, and if I remember correctly, the network pushed for them to push the envelope. Kim and Cynthia bore the brunt of that – SJP famously had her no-nudity clause and Kristin Davis was clearly not comfortable taking her clothes off.

When the series originally aired, it really bugged me that KC did so many nude scenes when SJP, a producer, got to keep her bra on. The disparity felt exploitative somehow and it made me wonder how SJP could be comfortable with it.

Thanks for the context reminder. Those were the days HBO and Showtime were trying to set themselves apart from regular cable by upping the nudity and racy stuff. It’s easy to look back now through the lens of #MeToo and Trump as President and be appalled. When I was watching SATC at 18 it never crossed my mind that it might have been wrong to require actresses to be nude in order to land a part. Now, 20 years later, it’s so apparent how much power a production has! And if you don’t want to do nudity, someone else will or they can write your character off or limit screen time. There are not as many good parts for women as we age. What a difficult situation to be in!

I clearly remember being bothered by that story at the time. It was well-known that SJP refused to do any nudity whatsoever, but the three other women all had to agree to it in their contracts. She *always* thought she was above them. I didn’t let it ruin the show for me, but the unfairness of it was always at the back of my mind.

Carrie didn’t make the show; the dynamic of all four of them did, but SJP never seemed to get or accept this.

Well of course she is insecure. She has an ugly face, and the older she gets, the less her hot body will make up for it. Plus her career is built on playing highly attractive (to men) women. Whereas Kim Cattrall, with her pretty face, IS a highly attractive woman.

Yes, we saw everyone’s nipples except SJP. While Kristen nudity was once or twice, Cynthia even showed nursing-nips. SJP loved to dance around in her bra, but what a selfish, mean hypocrite. She used her influence to exploit other women…is she an abuser?

Spare me. Abuser?? Cattrall’s been around for years. She’s 61. When it was contract renewal time, she certainly could have renegotiated her obligations for bodily exposure. She wasn’t always prudish.
from imdb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000326/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
“After appearing as Lt. Valeris in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Kim had a secret photo shoot on the bridge of the Enterprise, wearing only her Vulcan ears. When Leonard Nimoy found out about the photo shoot, he had the film destroyed.”
and: “I’ve been playing sexually aware women most of my life. At this point, I expected to be playing moms and wives. It’s exciting to play a femme fatale.”
and: “At the beginning I did Porky’s (1981) to pay my rent. I don’t come from a wealthy family – we were working class. So I thought, ‘great, nobody is going to see this movie and I’ll be able to pay my rent for eight months’. But this movie became a huge hit and I was sexualized in a way that changed the course of my film career. But I don’t have any regrets.”

But, KC didn’t have the negotiating power, especially when SJP declined to group together with the other 3 women (which would have significantly strengthened the negotiating power of the other 3 women, who were underpaid). It took her a long time to decide that it was best to walk away.

But… just because she did nudity in the past doesn’t mean that she had to keep doing it. She and Cynthia Nixon were naked A LOT on SATC. I wouldn’t have blamed either one of them for getting tired of it, especially since they bore all the responsibility for keeping up with HBO’s demand for racy content. A huge amount of that show’s success was built upon the flesh of 2 of its actresses, who weren’t paid commensurate to that.

Was she abused? No, I don’t think so. But I 100% believe she wanted to keep her top on more and have better storylines. SJP as EP and bestie to the show runner certainly didn’t help matters when she refused to help the other three women when it came time for contract negotiations. SJP helped herself and the other ladies did what they could with the leverage they had.

If anything, the quotes you provided prove that she wasn’t comfortable with nudity even back then. Did you not read the part where she was hoping no one would see this? Also, just because someone undressed for the camera 20 or 30 years ago doesn’t mean they wanna do it as an established actress in their 50s.

This was mean girls adult style and i am glad Kim decided not to do the movie. And btw how wrong is it to leave public message to someone you worked with for 15 years? Her brother died, send flowers and a note…

@Lithe, SJP wasn’t a producer until several years later. The show started in 1998, I believe. Darren Star created the show and really wanted Kim Cattrall on. Kim said her sex scenes she always considered more for comedic effect on the TV show. She knew what that character was about when she signed on. It made her a huge star.

SJP was hired like everybody else. They really wanted SJP for Carrie Bradshaw, who was the narrator also of the show when it first aired, centered around that character because of Bushnell’s books. She has never appeared nude because she has never appeared nude in any project and that was her stipulation to take the part. She has a no-nudity clause. How are you faulting her for that? They didn’t have to hire her.

Kim is going through a terrible time dealing with the death of her brother. i feel badly that she has to deal with SJP’s pettiness at the same time. i think the “dearest Kim” was the last straw for her. this has been a long time coming.

I agree, Joanne. Sometimes, you take it and take it and take it, until you cannot take it anymore. Sometimes, you need to spill it out to let it go. Reading the DM article (I know, I know), it sounds like SJP was the queeen bee of the meaan girls, who constantly ostracised Kim from the group, among other mean things, and used her power to further bully her. . That “Dearest Kim” thing would have made Kim’s blood pressure hit the roof. I think SJP is jealous, too. There’s no reason for her to be, but that is the nature of jealousy. I think the media should let this go now, rather than fan the flames. Kim seems to have moved on from SATC, and right now, she has more important issues to focus on.

That’s what I said too – this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Kim. I’m sorry she’s going through this in addition to a family tragedy.
SJP should never bother her or talk about her again.

If Kim has made it clear that she’s moved on from SATC, then any other cast members constantly bringing her up seems to increase the risk of typecasting Kim. That’s even if they speak fondly of her. Dragging her in public interviews takes it to an entirely different level.

My theory is jealousy, too. Kim looks younger than ANY of the cast, then or now, and she’s nearly a decade older.

>I think SJP is jealous, too. There’s no reason for her to be, but that is the nature of jealousy.

Oh please. I get that you’re trying to be nice, you’re a better person than I am…but most of us here have eyes.

It’s a cliche perpetuated by the media (the majority of which is created by old heterosexual guys, in case anyone’s wondering where it came from) since the dawn of time that the pretty, hot girls who get all the guys and attention are the meanest but that has SO not been my experience in real life, especially now that I’m out of school and surrounded by grown-ups. The naturally “hot” girls are usually confident with themselves and don’t feel like they need to prove something at every opportunity. Let that not-so-pretty girl who hasn’t worked through her issues stemming from always being overlooked in school grow up though and get some power, over other women in particular, and things can get nasty. Amy Pascal of the Sony leak fame is another example that springs to mind.

@Flk
What you said is true in my experience as well. Sometimes at least. Insecurity brings out the worst traits in people and women who don’t feel good about their looks are especially nasty at times.
Whether or not Angelina Jolie is pretty to everyone I know a lot of the vitriol she received was because of her looks. Jennifer Anniston felt safer and more accessible because she didn’t cast that kind of shadow. Women are nicer to cute even if the cute woman is mean.
I do blame it on a male-dominated society that pits women against each other. I just wish some wouldn’t take the bait and see that there is room to shine and be appreciated for different things.
Society is set up to undermine a woman’s confidence. If she is smart, then she can’t be sexy. She has to be brittle and caustic. If she is sexy, then she is a slut and not to be trusted. If she is a beauty, she has to be a bitch. If she is plain, then she is to be pitied and grateful for whatever she gets. If she is rich, she is a high maintenance brat.

I’ve always side-eyed SJP because she never seemed to move on from SATC (or her eyeliner technique). That’s when her star was at its peak, but my goodness, get on with your life. Those characters have run their course.

That is exactly it — she cannot move on gracefully from Carrie Bradshaw.

She’s also done so many cash grabs since the show ended: a low-budget clothing line at a store that she would never actually shop at herself, perfume, shoes, the two sequels and then she wanted a third.

It’s just like, ENOUGH at some point. SATC was great but it’s over. Let us enjoy the reruns in peace.

I will always admire Kim for writing this so publicly. I am on her side, and have always been, but even if I am wrong, and she has really been the true Mean girl … seriously, this statement is still epic, and honestly… it’s well played. It seems like she has more leverage now (even though I highly doubt she ever thinks like this)

I believe it. While I always suspected SJP was a conniving manipulator, I didn’t think that way of Cynthia Nixon or Kristin Davis. As awful as SJP has behaved, they’re just as bad. Less like Mean Girls and more like Heathers. I wish she’d stop with all that dark eye makeup. It makes her look considerably older.

Like I said yesterday, behavior at work is set from the top down. When a boss sets a tone of catty, mean girl and cliquey behavior then others follow suit. It’s a mix of seeing unacceptable behavior as acceptable because it’s been normalized by those in power as well as self preservation. Who doesn’t want to align themselves with their boss or stay in their good graces? It’s really, really difficult to be the one who pushes back and becomes the target of cattiness. Mean girls ALWAYS need someone to focus their attention on. I also think child stars get stuck at whatever age they became famous. SJP was a teenager so when you think about it, it’s not too surprising.

I think people forget that just because she comes across as outwardly well adjusted, SJP is a former child actor and likely a pretty screwed up person (I mean, the constant derision of her looks alone would mess anyone up). What sticks out the most to me, is that SJP continued to behave like the actors, when she was the boss. And she probably should never have been an active executive producer. Acting does not qualify you to run a show. And that’s how you end up with an EP who’s concerns are all driven towards making her character look best, preserving her screen time, and getting her payday. But the issue being that she had the power to make these things happen, and at the expense of her co-stars.

That’s an interesting thought about child actors getting stuck at a certain age. I can buy that with SJP because she often acts, talks and looks teenager-ish–not good for someone in her fifties. Also, I have to remind myself that she has three children….doesn’t that keep her busy enough? 3 kids, a career, lots of houses…why waste time running your mouth on Andy Cohen’s show? Grow up.

The Samantha character was epic. Can’t think of too many other actresses that could have achieved that status. The best thing SJP could do is get a decent role on anything other than SATC and move the hell on, or retire and enjoy the comfortable life the show has afforded her (and is now over). Her choice.

If you haven’t already – watch Watch What Happens Live from last week. SJP’s BFF Andy Cohen are so catty towards Kim. Not only does Andy go on about how they talked about it a lot (about Kim Cattrall and third movie) – but she gets super bitchy – then they recreate a scene with Samantha and SJP – its a scene where Kim’s character says BJ a lot – it was so so catty and bitchy….I loved SJP but when i saw that I believe she is totally nasty!

People keep bringing this up (it was mentioned repeatedly in the other SJP/KC post), but I honestly didn’t see it as catty or nasty. I feel like she approached the situation the best she could, expressed sadness over it all, while the skit (in which Andy and a guest act out a scene from a movie or a TV show they were in) was completely harmless and not at all offensive to Kim Cattrall, at least in my opinion.

As for the whole feud, I’ve always found SJP really sincere as a personality, and she appears to get on really well with her costars, with Kim Cattrall the obvious outlier. Something clearly happened between them, but I think it’s sort of depressing that everyone has apparently decided that SJP was the problem and a bully or a mean girl or whatever.

I also really like Kim too, so this whole thing has been weird and sort of depressing.

I think if you take it on its own, it doesn’t seem nasty. But, in context, it does because they’re basically beating a dead horse. Both women (and Willie Garson for some reason) already made their statements about the third movie and the (non)friendship.
So at that point, SJP can make her statement in response to the “we’re not friends” comment and MOVE ON. But she didn’t. She and her close buddy Andy Cohen went on to do this skit and make other comments. And let’s not pretend this is on Andy. If she didn’t want to harp on the subject, he wouldn’t have asked the questions and done the skit.

It’s just so weird to me that SJP keeps commenting to the press and posting that note on Insta. When someone had made clear that they don’t want to be your friend or have anything to do with you, you leave them alone. Simple as that.

When SJP used “Dearest Kim” when posting on IG a day or two after WWHL and badmouthing Kim since last year about SATC 3, it seemed so incredibly fake and SJP making Kim’s grief about SJP. I went from not caring about their bad blood to really feeling for Kim. I now think SATC was probably a hostile work environment from her. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but man, that just seems like some passive aggressive meanness when her brother just died.

Here’s my issue. Wasthe event in question *that* bad? Eh, probably not. But it was the last in a line of repeated public discussions on the subject. And it’s a prime example of SJP’s primary negotiating tactic: social warfare. SJP was an Executive Producer, and wielded a lot of power and influence over that set, but she didn’t behave like a boss. She behaved like a stereotypical insecure actress. Her job grew, but she didn’t. Instead of really negotiating with Kim, she spent years using proxies to publicly browbeat her into continuing with the series.

I don’t think that SJP is a “bad” person, but I think that she’s a terrible boss and needs to take a hard look at herself.

I think Andy Cohen is steps away from a fall. I didn’t like his catty remarks about Griffin and loathed his existence on NYE with Anderson Cooper. (He basically ruined the broadcast for me.) The fact that he’s dipping his toe in this toxic water makes me think he’s not smart or strategic. He’s been called out as a misogynist and I’m inclined to believe it. I hope he takes a step back and reconsiders his actions.

I don’t think much of Andy Cohen. I think he is a pot stirrer, back stabber and the cattiest of all. He has a career due to women and their disagreements and being an instigator is just as bad in my opinion. Not all exploitation is sexual in nature. Just saying.

Interesting. I was (hate) watching Divorce last night, and I was struck by how engaged I was by the other actors: Tracy Letts, Talia Balsam, Thomas Haden Church (yum), and Molly Shannon (of whom I’m not a big fan). SJP is definitely the weak link in the cast.

Maybe SJP’s talent is to draw talented actors to her projects. Maybe she should give up the acting and just focus on producing?

So….I found the same thing. The cast and other story lines are really good.

I just got turned off because I felt the show was kind of becoming about how Carrie had married beneath herself and now she was free to be the Carrie she deserves to be except for all the people around her that don’t respect her narcissistic wishes.

I think people may be more interested in SATC than you think, otherwise why all the attention. Still people are definitely interested in the gossip. This feud really has legs. Which kind of surprised me, but I do like Kim’s attitude about it.

Also, I find it interesting people still identify SJP with Carrie so much. Kind of a shame both for Divorce which is a pretty good show, and for SJP because hard to leave a character when it seems to define you.

Oh yes – SJP was always jealous of how popular Samantha was and that KC was by far the better actress. I only watched the show because of Samantha and Cattrall (who i have always loved). Carrie annoyed the fk out of me, Charlotte was an annoying whiney child but never really got any interesting plots and Miranda was an interesting character that got shafted once she had the baby and married that really annoying guy.

SJP got what she deserved – she has done nothing but bully and mean girl KC for months, all because she couldn’t get what she wanted. The SATC movies where crap as was the last few seasons of the show when it became obvious it was nothing more than a vanity/ego trip for SJP.

SJP pushed Kim too far on this one. She should have just left it alone when she was met with silence after she reached out privately. Kim doesn’t owe her her time. She and her family are grieving. SJP needs to pick up her face and the huge L and move the hell on.

For me, I can easily believe that both women are divas and I have no issue with that term. Two talented women on a popular show who knew what they were worth is not a bad thing. The issue I have is that SJP had more power in the situation as soon as she became a producer on the show. All four women were popular and should all have been given the same opportunities together. Once SJP became a producer and the second HW came on you can clearly see the shift in sl and the favortism started to show up in front of and behind the camera. It got to the point where it was getting too incredible to believe that they were friends. Carrie should have been read for filth by all three of those women on multiple occasions because of her childish and irresponsible behavior but she never was. After a certain point, no amount of money is worth it if you aren’t getting the respect you believe you deserve. If even half those stories about SJP freezing Kim out and Cynthia and the other one going along with it are true, then eff SJP and everyone else who allowed that to go on.

SJP totally could’ve used that leverage as lead character/newly-minted Executive Producer to ensure her 3 co-stars – all of whom were equally as responsible for the show’s success – got a substantial salary bump or whatever it was that they were seeking out of their contract negotiations.

The cast of Friends tied their contract re-negotiations together and all got a substantial pay bump. The top-tier actors on The Big Bang Theory each took a pay cut so two supporting actors in the cast could make higher salaries. Jessica Chastain tied Octavia Spencer’s salary negotiations to her own on a recent project because she had the power to do so and believed that Octavia was being way under-compensated.

As far as I’m concerned, if you’re in a position of power and you’d don’t use that power to be generous to those who helped you get there, you deserve every criticism thrown your way.

Agnes, SJP did more than just act on the show. The examples you listed were about ACTORS getting paid equally for acting in ensembles. If someone is an executive producer, that is a separate job. I disagree that all of the cast was responsible for the show’s success. SJP’s character was the clear lead, the narrator, the only character in opening credits.

I don’t think women should have to do extra work, handle extra responsibility for less, just to appear “nice”.

I don’t think that in and of itself is the issue. It’s that she made decisions solely through the lens of her own best interest whether or not it was right for the rest of the show. Fine for SJP the actress. But not fine for SJP the EP.

As ridiculous as some of the storylines Samantha was given after SJP became executive producer were, I’d believe it. It’s a wonder Kim Cattrall even managed to pull some of those off and a testament to what a great comedic actress she is. SJP should know when to stop with this Kim thing, she’s digging her own PR-grave…

THIS. I loved the show and watched them over and over again. It always amazed me how good Cattrall was and I can completely see how this would get SJP’s nose out of joint and how she would spend time (consciously or not) trying to hide it. SJP was the one who became exec producer and made the most off the show-but it wasn’t enough. She had to find any way possible to get and Kim (even after the show was over) and that said everything I needed to know.

The tea is accurate that when Darren Starr left, Kim was left out in the cold. Darren was the one who pushed for Kim to be on the show when she rejected it multiple times.

After season 3, you can see a shift in Carrie’s persona (less gritty, less sex, not dating around as much), which has a lot to do with SJP gaining more power. And, at that time, Samantha’s antics were ratcheted up.

I always thought her first explanation about why she didn’t want to do another SATC movie was pretty classy too. She’s right at 60, which is what she is SATC seems a bit weird, not that you don’t have SATC at 60, but you would think a bit of the angst you would have figured out by then, and I’m not sure they would write that transition correctly. I wouldn’t want to do it either, and I thought she explained it well. A younger set of girls would be more interesting.

I can see this being the truth as well. We’ve heard about Cattrall not wanting samantha to be just the “sexy one” and have some depth. And the plot for the second movie for her was just absurd. I would never agree to a third after that either.

This story encapsulates so many different elements, and that’s why I find it fascinating. But that said, I think it’s really important to remember that Kim is grieving. We’re talking about her professional life, when her personal life is in shambles right now. Personally, I’m uncomfortable discussing Kim herself right now, so I’m limiting my thoughts to SJP.

SATC was the defining role of Sarah Jessica Parker‘s adult career. And it seem to change her. People forget that as a former child actor, SJP is likely a pretty screwed up person. I often think that she comes from the Matt Damon school, where she was told for so long that she was a certain way, that she lost the ability to self reflect. The part that I have the most difficulty reconciling is the money. As someone lWho consistently defines herself as a supporter of equal rights, women’s rights, women’s rights within the workplace, SJP should have been the first person fighting to make sure that her female costars were paid appropriately. Instead, what we see here is the actions of someone who isn’t being asked the hard questions, who hasn’t had to put in the deep thought, and the logic. After reading everything, I still wouldn’t characterize SJP as a terrible person, but I would call her a terrible boss.

I know, I don’t think I’ve ever commented so much on a subject here (3 or 4 yesterday and already several today). I read Celebitchy faithfully every day but rarely comment. Something about this story really struck a cord. Maybe it’s because when my Uncle died suddenly a couple years ago, my brother was also going through some personal crap (of his own making) and hounded my Mom with constant phone calls/texts/emails about his issue while my Mom was planning her brother’s funeral, taking care of my elderly grandparents who’d just lost their oldest child, and deeply grieving. Finally my Dad had to call my brother to tell him to leave her alone. They are divorced but that’s how bad it had gotten that my Dad felt the need to step in and protect his ex-wife! When someone is dealing with death or tragedy, your issues take a back seat. Period. SJP should have read the room and left Kim alone. I’m so sorry for the Cattrall family, it is heartbreaking to lose a loved one, especially suddenly. I hope SJP uses this time to really dig deep and self reflect on her behavior that many of us are calling out as in poor taste.

What resonates for me is that somehow, we’re more concerned with whether or not 4 women who work together are “friends”. These are professional women in a workplace, why on earth are we more concerned with whether or not they like each other?

Yes, I’m uncomfortable with that remark too. I had plenty of women and men I worked with whom I didn’t like. Some for justifiable reasons. Some I just didn’t like. I honestly can’t remember being jealous of any of them. Wonder why people always put the jealous shoe on with women, even if it isn’t really their existence either.

I think the jealousy comments are based on KC’s charisma on screen. I used to be very, very fond of that program, and when I think of it, I don’t think of wishy, washy Carrie, or uptight Miranda, or society gal Charlotte, but of scene stealing, timing genius, sharp as a tack Samantha. I’d wager others would agree.

The DM says that SJP’s “condolence” comment referred to Kim as her “friend.” Is that true? I haven’t seen the comment.
If so, that’s really weird. She would’ve posted that comment well after Kim said they weren’t friends and she responded on WWHL.
If someone has made clear that the two of you aren’t friends, why refer to her as a friend?

SJP commented on Kim’s Instagram: “Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx”

When asked about the news by Extra, SJP replied: “I can’t begin to know how her family is managing such a loss. We all send her our love and condolences and grant her the privacy that she’s asked for.”

She also told Entertainment Tonight: “If somebody in your life, whether you’re in touch with them or not, [is] suffering for any reason, it’s involuntary that you want to convey condolences or sadness or just let someone know you’re thinking about them.”

the four characters were crucial to the story, but Samantha’s light somehow always shone a bit brighter. Kim played her with so much gusto and comedic timing, with this ‘devel may care’ attitude. I could never see her missing or being replaced from a SATC movie.

Btw – big opponent of the movies in general. For me it should have ended as tv series and probably one or two seasons earlier then it did.

And she really was given the least to work with. When I think of the show now, the scenes that stand out for me are Samantha’s with Smith and Samantha with Richard. Then some Miranda/Charlotte scenes. The only Carrie scene that sticks in my mind is the scene with her and Natasha in the restaurant where Natasha read her for filth and Carrie still didn’t really get it.

Now you have me thinking about it and Carrie’s kind of like then ongoing accidental villain of that show! I couldn’t see it when I was in my early 20s, but holy god. She’s so full of herself that’s she’s just like a bull in a china shop!

@Betsy. Carrie was the literal worst. In early seasons, it was kind of tempered by the fact that she was still floundering and humble, maybe. Post season 3, Carrie was so full of herself and judgemental and insufferable that it was ridiculous. Carrie was a cute girl but she was no where near as big a catch as she was portrayed to be.

I agree with you oral love Kaiser. Sjp is a tiny manipulative girl who is not here to support her fellow actress. She’s here to support sjp. Even if you don’t get along with a co-worker, doesn’t give you the right to take it to a negative place. Be cordial, and be professional. Be kind, don’t be a cut throat mean girl. I support you Kim for keeping it real!

It’s not the first time Andy Cohen had dissed KC. He’s so catty and also devoted to SJP. I’ve stopped watching WWHL because he’s now bordering on cruel lots of times, but I know I’ve seen him diss KC on more than one occasion.

“SITC” was ALWAYS my great tv junk food getaway…and this WHOLE back and forth between Kim and SJP has pretty much soured me on EVA watching the show again…I’m sorry…I work YEARS to produce content that still has a vibrant and huge following…and that’s STILL paying my bills…I’m going to protect that legacy…but then…that’s just how I roll…

Team Kim. SJP took a private, tragic moment and made it publically about her. D-ck move. Leave Kim alone already. You have spent weeks trashing her on any talk show that would listen and now you want to be her ‘friend?’ She should be jealous of Kim, Samantha always stole the show and the only character with real substance.

Team Kim all the way. I’m glad that she spilled the tea about SJP and how she was treated on SATC. That second film was trash and I don’t blame her for not wanting to do a third. SJP is a testament to something I always say, “nice is a persona. Kindness is character. And the two should not be mistaken for each other.”

I’d like to add that after Season 3 (I think?) Darren Star (the one who convinced Kim to do SATC) left the show. SJP became an executive producer and the new showrunner was one of her besties – meaning her power grew exponentially. Instead of being professional and holding her two roles very separate, she seemed to leverage this to help herself and to stick it to Kim even more. The characters and storylines were adjusted to SJP’s preferences. Kim’s character was given ridiculous storylines (which – to her credit – she pulled off brilliantly – probably p*ssing of SJP even more). You can actually see the “judgment” of Samantha showing through in certain episodes which was not the case before.

I imagine that all in all it became a hostile workplace for Kim. SJP didn’t see this – she saw Kim as someone who wasn’t a team player and who was a thorn in her side. She was still jealous of her but managed to convince herself that Kim was the one at fault – and Kim probably didn’t help this by being pretty cold back to SJP. Probably every now and then SJP decided to “bury the hatchet” and be nice to Kim and it was not received well – because really it was disingenuous and the underlying problems were all still there. SJP’s opinion that Kim was the problem was reinforced and she “punished” her for it.

For SJP the show and movies were a great time, she was surrounded by close friends, she was paid well, she was treated like the star, she had power. For Kim it was a hostile workplace and something she wants to move on from.

So I’m mostly Team Kim but I don’t think that it’s all completely one-sided. I can see how they could both be mostly nice people and have these issues.

I just don’t get it. I think SJP was damned if she did send her condolences and damned if she didn’t. Other members of the SITC cast did the same, along with thousands of strangers. I liked Samantha’s role on the show, she was totally enjoyable and I actually thought the breast cancer story line, the menopause, being a strong independent woman with her own business and everything that went along with that – made her more likable because it was something women could truly relate to. KC went on to do Sensitive Skin which was all about being middle age and all that went along with it. She was on there for at least 2 years ‘(til at least 2016?).

I liked Carrie, but she was more of the fluff, although I did enjoy the process of her writing her column. I think SJP is talented. I liked her in Ed Wood and in Honeymoon in Vegas, all of which came up before SITC. I haven’t really liked some of the movies she has been in as of late. I think SJP got her start in Broadway as Annie and I know that I saw her in How to Succeed On Broadway without Really Trying, with my Mom when I was younger.

I am even more confused by KC’s comments because I remember her sayin on more than one occassion she would love to do another movie. In fact if you look up her interview at the Edinburgh Festival KC said – “Of course there should be a third film! I think we would all love it. I mean, what would the story be?” She added, when asked if she’d be worried about a negative reaction to another film: “To quote Samantha Jones ‘if I worried about what every b***h said about me I wouldn’t leave the house!’

Can she change her mind? Yes! But to pretend there was never any thought as to wanting to do another movie when she stated the opposite? Huh.

I have no idea if SJP is the manipulative person that she is being depicted as. I think she should have kept her yap shut and just let matters go when asked about SITC3. I mean, unless Samantha is being replaced, is there any reason to talk about it? Nope.

As for SJP being jealous of KC? Why do women have to be jealous of each other? I never hear that about men. Sometimes people do not get along. SJP needs to shut up and move on and so does KC. I, for one, am sick of it all.

How much of what she said earlier was press tour for SATC series or film.

Most actors lie through their teeth when on press tours about their ‘wonderful’ co-stars, crew, filming experience and the film. It’s in their contracts to promote the films. If the film does well, then they get to make another one. More money for them. More career opportunities.

Once Kim got off the SATC train + constantly being dragged by SJP = she’s finally telling her truth because her career is no longer dependent on SATC by association or money.

SJP’s career is still dependent on SATC. By hapstance AND design. Therefore SJP will continue to lie through her teeth about her ‘wonderful’ co-stars, crew, experiences with the films etc in the hope of getting another made and or opening further career opportunities for her.

Sarah’s strategy as a boss is to publicly shame Kim for wanting to get better pay.

What I also find despicable is Sarah equating speaking up in #metoo times to gossiping about Kim’s movie negotiations attempts; Sarah was like “hey, if people can tell their rape stories, I can sure tell people about contract negotiations”.

I don’t find it despicable – discussions about money are absolutely a part of this movement. However, she completely and totally missed the point, because she was the one underpaying. She didn’t want the other actresses negotiating for more money. Isn’t the entire point of the movement that Kim CAN and SHOULD walk away if she’s feeling undervalued?

I’ve watched it. I don’t think it’s amazing. But I watch it to support Kim and like it well enough. If Kim wasn’t in it, I probably wouldn’t have kept watching it. I also watched Divorce to support SJP, but I lost interest before I finished the first season and never went back. It might be a good show, but sometimes I start things and get busy and never go back to a show to give it a chance.

What’s wrong with sending flowers to the funeral to express your sympathy?

Once I had had a work friend that was also a close personal friend. Long story short – we fell out hard. A few months later her father died suddenly. I knew what a mess that was going to be what with her cray husband and 2 elementary age kids, and her father’s funeral many states away. I knew she had 2 dogs that somebody would have to care for. Even though we were still feuding I put a note in her box at work saying I would take care of the dogs while she was gone with no strings, no thanks expected. I went over there twice a day and took good care of them until she got back, and then we resumed our feud. IMO, that’s how adults handle things when they get bad.

@goodlucktousall: lol, I’ve often thought this, based on life experience and interaction, and it is amazing to see someone state that here. I won’t blanket statement it, but it has proven to be a “tell” sometimes.

About ten years ago, my team was advising a company with some serious growth issues. At the core of the problem area were three babytalkers. About 40, exaggerated baby voices and tons of hair flipping and sort of teen mannerisms. After a few weeks, we noticed how poorly they did in meetings when baby talk and hair flipping clearly put off potential finance partners. Babytalk, giggling, pouting, storming out. Then someone on our team repeatedly observed them crying, screaming, and lashing out in weird childish ways at their other team members, over and over. Since then, I have noticed similar on two other occasions with babytalkers. I don know what it is, but it is pretty odd to see.

I have a long-standing hatred for all things SATC and SJP. That show was the gd worst. I will never understand how anyone thought there was anything “feminist” about it. I defy anyone to watch any 10 minutes of any episode of any season and go without at least one of the characters carrying on about a man. Carrie and Charlotte were the worst with the fcking I Need A Man To Be Happy whining, but Miranda and Samantha did the same, albeit in different ways, and all of them were ridiculous caricatures. As a woman who actually dated in New York at the time, the whole thing made me fcking cringe. If you loved that show and/or those stupid-ass “which character are you” idiocies, I am judging you.

Somebody mentioned SJP having been on Colbert about a month ago. I watched it last night and she is eye-rollingly Golly Gosh Giggles Girl. If that’s her natural personality, I hate her. If it’s a put on, I hate her. Either way, it’s ridiculous and annoying and reductive.

I wouldn’t even need her to fck with my money or my job to post that Instagram message. But if she did, I don’t think I’d have been able to wait this many years to post it. Sht, if anything, I give Kim credit for not sending that message sooner.

I like both actresses and really feel for Kim, but why is SJP being shamed for looking out for her own interests where salary negotiations are concerned? I remember lots of comments sticking up for Mark Wahlberg in the the Michelle Williams thread a few weeks ago. Bullying is wrong, but the onus is not on SJP to negotiate with or for her colleagues. The show revolved around Carrie and they needed her so why not get that money? Nothing prevented the other three actresses from negotiating together. I’ve read that she grew up poor so maybe she is trying to provide for her family as much as she possibly can. The remarks about her face are in really poor taste too – do we really need to go there? I find her look really interesting, minus the horrible eyeliner. Kim is a great actress, but hasn’t really done much outside of SATC since the 80s, which is a shame. I hope she can find the right vehicle for her talent and we’ll see more of her elsewhere. I’ve heard really nice things about both women, sometimes people just don’t like each other, this doesn’t mean that either of them are bad people.

I seriously doubt that SJP is making these types of financial decisions – probably not her place or decision to offer more. She clearly didn’t want to share her own salary. I think SJP expressed her disappointment that Kim didn’t want to do a third movie – I wouldn’t call that shaming. Kim made the right decision about the movie either way.

Isn’t SJP the executive producer? I think she can offer more or fight for the other women to get more.

I don’t think KC wants to do the movie at all, but I think SJP’s team made it sound like the issue was about money — which, if that’s the argument SJP wants to put forward, I would wonder why she wouldn’t give more money to the other people who want it.

As the star and EP, SJP would have wielded a lot of influence. She however declined to support her co-stars in their negotiations. And again, we know for a fact that SJP chose to instead pressure for the women to get better pay so that they *wanted* to do the movie, she tried to publicly shame them into doing it.

Not to mention, why do people keep saying “that part wasn’t her job”? She was an Executive Producer. She had a seat at the table. Stop making excuses.

@Jayna, we’ve heard 2 different things. That Kim was DONE, or that she wanted a better deal and when it didn’t materialize she walked away. Either one, the response from the SATC people wasn’t okay. If she was interested the whole time, publicly shaming her wasn’t going to help and was really disrespectful. And if they didn’t meet her demands, then it’s on the production. If they’re treating her as though she’s integral, pay her. If they don’t want to pay her, stop complaining and trying to use some sort of public shaming.

sjp was on all the nightly shows last week and ellen throwing shade at KC. So to turn around and say “dearest Kim”. she didn’t even acknowledge that they had a falling out. KC handled this correctly. Sorry not sorry

Man, did that get ugly fast, but then, highly emotional situations are generally the ones where our patience and resolve with these kinds of conflicts shatters. Ah well, Kim was the one who had to deal with a crappy press cycle in the last round. SJP will survive getting it this time around, especially since she isn’t the one dealing with a serious family loss.

Whelp. It’s clear we are picking sides based on our favourite SITC character. I watched the show for Carrie’s arc. Kim’s stuck up smug character did nothing for me. I’m sure they are both quite different in real life… so let’s keep it real folks.

It seems that Kim had enough of the phony SJP.
They clearly didn’t have a good relationship over the years for whatever reasons, but, if SJP felt so strongly about expressing her condolences she should have just sent a card with some lovely flowers and say : ” I’m very sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences. ”
She should have done it privately and, if anybody asked she should have said : no comment and respect what Kim asked after her brother’s death : privacy.
Kim went on social media, only because her brother was missing and was asking for help from the public to locate him, unfortunately he was later found dead.
Both women have been in show business for decades, even, if SJP didn’t know Kim’s contact info, she would have been able to obtain it from their problem many common contacts.
And, if not, than let it go, it wasn’t meant to be or send the flowers to her workplace.
SJP seems to be demanding, annoying, high maintenance and neurotic right in front of the whole world. I have no idea what Kim is like, but until she was called out by SJP and her associates about not wanting to be in SATC3, I’ve never heard Kim saying anything mean about SJP.
PLEASE SJP, lose that hideous eyeliner, it makes look OLD!

Her ego must be absolutely out of control for her to think it’s okay to leak against, libel, bully, etc, Kim just because she didn’t want to do film 3. Because that’s what’s been happening and the fake message on instagram after she went on Andy Cohen and again pointed the finger at Kim was probably the last straw for Kim.

At first glance I can’t see Kim Cattrall going wayyy out on a limb like this unless there was serious backstory. I have read some goss about this. I’m thinking SJP crossed some lines and Kim has not exactly shy and meek in the past. Good for her to talk about the elephant in the room. No cover ups!

What goes around comes around, you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube, and Karma WILL get you in the end. This was a colossally bad move on SJP’s part. Instagramming faux-heartfelt condolences is not the way to mend a rift. A private card, flowers, even an email would have sufficed, but her public efforts at appearing sympathetic, loving and sincere came off as exactly the opposite – pandering, fake and self-serving. She’s getting a long-overdue comeuppance.

SJP is still having her friends and current / future employees talk smack about Kim. She really and truly doesn’t get it. The sweet baby talker fights dirty apparently but the problem is that people are now onto her

I was surprised to learn that Kim Cattrall didn’t really want to do all those nude scene. I’m also surprised SJP insisted she do them. Huh. So strange.

Anyway, Cattrall is now in her 60s. As you get older, you care less what people think about you. If people think she’s being unnecessarily mean to SJP for expressing condolences, she likely doesn’t care. SJP seems to care what people think of her, but Cattrall seems to be all “Whatever. Think whatever you want to think about me. I don’t care.” If I were SJP, I would stop messing with her because it’s hard to fight someone who doesn’t care about the public’s opinion of her. All of this has provided very good gossip though.

It’s sad that a show about the wonderful friendships between 4 women has burned down to this pile of crap. I blame both of them, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle and they both should’ve handled this privately instead of planting ridiculous stories about each other in the press and taking digs on twitter, it’s childish. It’s sad to see women doing this to each other.

Late to the party–but I wanted to add that Sarah Jessica Stalker was beating a dead horse for months & months. Kim didn’t want to be part of the movie–she was direct & candid. Then, out comes all gossip stories *leaked to the press.* Sarah Jessica Stalker did several interviews on how “sad” she was, using the drama to fuel more interest in another movie. That must have been maddening for Kim. But, with her poor brother gone, the fake “dearest Kim” remarks must have pushed her over the edge. I honestly feel for Kim. I’ve had people in my life who are exactly like that. They never quit dragging you into their sh**t. Will SJS stop harassing Kim? Or, will there be another round of gossip, interviews, etc.?

Yep. Why can’t KC (or anyone else) say no to a job without being libeled and bullied publicly for being a “diva”? What the heck is going on in SJP’s mind? She did months of leaks against Kim in retaliation. Just shows you how out of touch she is and demonstrates her true character, while confirming everything Kim has clarified about the toxic culture behind the scenes on that show – led by SJP.

SJS as you call her will never stop. I mean the PR game is strong her team is all over trying to change the narrative. I literally just watched something with an “etiquette expert” trying to explain how to grieve.
Interviewer: Did SJP do the right thing by reaching out to her publicly?
EE: Yes, blah blah.
Me change the channel. I cant she should have sent a private message if she cared and a public one for her own ego boost. Don’t need an etiquette expert to tell me that

Well, I’ve always found SJP to be a phony. Her Golly Gosh persona rubs me the wrong way and has for years.
IMO, SATC was a good show but Kim C. was really the one with the star power and talent.
And those 2 movies were lousy. Lousy, I say.

Team Kim all the way. I love the fact that Kim is completely frank and said her peace.

And yes, a note sent privately would have been a better way for SJP to send her condolences.
SJP big old phony, Pffffft!

I agree that SJP was beating a dead horse about the whole grieving over the SATC 3 movie when Kim didn’t want to do it.. I do believe Kim did not tell the truth about a firm no last year and never even talk about it. It woudn’t have gone as far as it did if that was true. But this whole grieving shtick by SJP sent Kim over the age with the blame being pointed at her. I don’t want a new movie.

But some of these comments are over the top and off topic. First of all, SJP was not a producer the first three seasons. She was hired with a no-nudity clause because she has never done nudity and never will. That’s her prerogative. They wanted her. Kim had done nudity in the past in roles. And Sam’s character was a whole different ballgame, and Kim had no problem with it as her character. It’s what her character was known for, open with her sexuality and body.

She did say when she hit 50, she didn’t perform nudity anymore. That people thought she was nude in the movie and she said she really wasn’t.

She has said she thought the nudity and sex was all about comic timing.

Here she talks about no problem with nudity and sex as her character on the show. So these posts about it all being SJP’s doing is bizarre to me. Kim loved Darren Star, who created the show and brought her on.

I agree in that I also think Kim probably didn’t do a firm no and asked for financing for her other projects, but it’s really extremely bad form to bully people for negotiating tough or saying no. No one should be accountable in this way for how they negotiated a job/deal. If she were a guy there’d be no angle for leaks because it would just be a man who stood firm and looked out for himself. But Kim got turned into a diva who ruined everything for everyone (SJP and bank account).

Team Kim all the way. SJO has always been insufferable. Her marriage is a sham, her face is a wreck- yes I am a middle aged woman shaming a homely lady whose face is not aging well. Why? Because it reflects her inner being -rotten.

SJP is a mean girl and part of the elite jew crew where Andy Cohen probably wears the princess crown. I think it is disgusting how they treated Kim and still are ganging up on her….Good on her for speaking up.

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